Kagome did indeed take a nice cold shower when she got back to the house – a nearly hour long one. Because every time Kagome thought that she'd cooled down enough to act with some semblance of normalcy around her family, a certain half-demon would pop back into her thoughts and right back under the cold spray she'd go. The dirty little promise Inuyasha had made right before he'd left kept echoing in her ears and causing a flush of desire and heat to rush through her entire form, making her core throb for him and a fierce blush to overtake her face. Kagome did not want to explain to any of her family members why she looked so flushed. After all, it couldn't be the heat since the house was blessedly air conditioned, as Mama mentioned, and she'd just taken a cold shower.

So finally, after nearly an hour, Kagome managed to ban all thoughts of the wicked hanyou from her mind and exit the bathroom feeling refreshed and significantly cooled down. The young woman headed to her room and donned a flowing white skirt with a forest green camisole. She studiously ignored her white bikini where it innocently laid on her bed for fear that she'd have to jump in the shower again. Kagome dried her hair as best as she could then messily bunched it up on the top of her head to keep her neck cool and then joined her family downstairs where it was the coolest. The AC was located in the living room so naturally that was where she found Gramps – napping in his favorite recliner, as usual – and Souta and her mother lounging about watching television and casually chatting. Even Buyo was there, sprawled out in front of a small rotating fan, napping away and soaking up the refreshingly brisk air.

Kagome half-heartedly glared at her cat. Fan hogger…

Thankfully, nobody asked why she was here instead of the feudal era, but Kagome supposed that if she were asked, she'd reply that it was cooler here and she wanted to escape the heat for a while. And maybe if she was lucky, her half-demon companion wouldn't be mentioned, either.

No such luck existed, sadly.

"Hey, sis," Souta piped up from his position not unlike Buyo's on the floor, wearing nothing but his swimming trunks. "Where's Inuyasha? Usually he follows you whenever you come back here."

Kagome's back stiffened and pretended his question didn't bring back thoughts of naughty vows and a rush of heat. "I dunno, Souta," she replied at length, keeping her gaze fixed on the TV. "Maybe he prefers quiet cold rivers to noisy air conditioners and nosy brothers." Never mind that when he was in her house earlier in the day he'd declared that he wasn't moving more than five feet away of the wonderful machine. Kagome tried to keep the mental image of Inuyasha sans clothing in a river at bay and failed. Oh, boy… She resisted the urge to fan herself and swallowed the lump in her throat.

Her little brother snorted and lolled his head to the side to level a narrowed eyed gaze at her. "Yeah, well, at least he wouldn't hog the bathroom for a whole hour," he griped. "What took you so long, anyway? Staring at your face in the mirror for any zits?" He snickered.

She launched a pillow at him. "Can it, shrimp!"

"Hey Kagome, did you see the one that's sitting on your shoulders? Oh, wait, that's your head, sorry!"

"Souta!" Two more pillows sailed through the air.

"Mom, Kagome's throwing pillows at me!"

"Because you're being a little snot!"

"You started it!"

"I did not! You're the one who said my head was a zit, you brat!"

"At least I'm not the one throwing things! Your aim sucks, by the way."

"Ugh, you little—!"

"Children," Mama finally intervened, leveling a reprimanding stare at both her offspring. "You're driving me nuts. Souta, your sister's head is not a zit, Kagome, stop throwing pillows." That said, the older woman focused her attention on the TV again, satisfied that her son and daughter would shut up and let her enjoy her program. She loved her children, truly, but sometimes… She honestly wondered how they haven't driven her to drink yet.

And all throughout this little exchange, Grandpa Higurashi remained fast asleep reclined in his easy chair, head tilted back and snoring away.

-X-

A few hours after the battle with her brother, Kagome decided to head back to the past, claiming that she'd rather be free of annoying little brothers rather than admit the real reason, which didn't have anything to do with a certain silver-haired hanyou. Oh, no, of course not. Nope. Not at all.

Kagome noticed that it was darker than usual outside as she strode toward the well house, though no less cooler since the air was muggy and humid, and she tilted her head back to gaze up at the sky inquisitively. In a moment she received her answer when she spotted no sign of a silver moon in the heavens and her eyebrows went up. "New moon," she murmured absently, her thoughts once more straying to her hanyou friend, however this time the usual bout of heat that accompanied those thoughts did not make themselves known.

A worried frown marred Kagome's features as she entered the slightly cooler well house and deliberately took her time going down the steps before reluctantly hauling herself over the rim and dropping 500 years into the past.

Kagome wasn't surprised that Inuyasha wasn't there to meet her. His senses were usually duller on his human nights, so he was probably still sulking somewhere in a tree from the…ahem, interruption from earlier. Which was just as well, Kagome surmised as her face flamed. She didn't think she'd be able to face him without spontaneously combusting first.

Shaking her head of those distracting thoughts, Kagome walked the beaten path toward Kaede's village, relishing in the brief but refreshing gusts of cool air that occasionally happened. The walk seemed longer than usual since Inuyasha or Shippou weren't there to accompany her and a pleasant smile graced her features when Kaede's hut finally came into view.

"I'm back," Kagome said – or would have if Shippou hadn't pounced on her the second she pushed back the doormat. Instead of the anticipated greeting, all the young woman could manage was, "Oomph!" as she stumbled back and automatically wrapped her arms around the kitsune. Numerous chuckles of amusement echoed around her, thusly proving that Miroku, Sango and Kaede were present as well.

"Kagome!" Shippou enthusiastically greeted, grinning widely up at the woman that he saw as a surrogate mother. "You're back!" He paused and blinked. "Where did you go?"

With a chuckle of her own, Kagome shifted the fox tyke in her arms to a more comfortable position then joined her friends around the fire pit, in which Kaede was making some sort of stew. Placing Shippou in her lap, she nodded and smiled greetings to the others before turning her attention back to the youngster. "Ah, I went back to my time for a while, Shippou. I…had to take care of something." Mentally Kagome winced; hopefully nobody questioned just what she had to "take care of."

Shippou pouted. "Why didn't you tell any of us, though? We never got to finish our game!"

Immediately Kagome felt guilty and coddled the tiny fox to her chest. "Oh, I'm sorry Shippou. It was a spur of the moment thing, and I didn't have time to tell anybody where I was going. Tell you what, though. Next time I go to my time, I'll bring you back a sweet treat and more crayons. Okay?" Kagome smiled at him and nuzzled his nose with her own.

Instantly Shippou brightened and nodded vigorously, giggling and hugging her around the neck. "Okay! Thanks, Kagome! You're the best!"

Content now, Shippou plopped back down in her lap and dug into the bowl of stew that Sango handed to him.

Kagome idly smoothed back his hair and looked up with an inquisitive gaze. "So, where's Inuyasha? Usually he sticks around here on his human nights." She thought it best to pretend she truly didn't know the whereabouts of their friend to avoid any suspicion directed toward her.

Sango and Miroku exchanged brief glances then turned back to the girl from the future. Kaede continued to stir that night's dinner. "We thought he was with you, Kagome," the demon exterminator admitted with a slight frown. "We haven't seen him since this afternoon when…you were playing a game with Shippou." Kagome didn't miss the way her eyes shifted over to the monk a few feet away, nor the rather sly curl of said monk's lips. His violet gaze remained focused on his dinner.

Kagome blinked. "I see…" she said slowly and gave her best friend a knowing look. Sango blushed and ducked her head, suddenly very interested in the contents of the bowl in her lap. Kagome definitely would be getting that story out of her later.

Inwardly cackling, Kagome turned her head away to hide the smirk on her lips and stared at the doorway, her initial worry coming back. It wasn't like Inuyasha to disappear on the night of the new moon. This wasn't right; he usually stuck around Kaede's hut, either in his favorite tree or on the rooftop, loitering about and generally being a nuisance to the old woman and everybody else.

Kagome bit her lip and frowned, her gaze unfocused. He couldn't still be mad over what happened earlier…could he? The young woman flushed at the memory of Inuyasha's body against hers and her heartbeat kicked up a notch. Vaguely she hoped Shippou didn't notice. Well…we were interrupted for the second time. I guess I can't blame him for being a little frustrated. But is he really only staying away because he's really mad, or…did he need to "take care of" something himself?

A rather vivid mental image of Inuyasha "taking care of" himself in that fashion sent a jolt of desire straight through her and she gasped, before violently biting down on her lip and shooting a nervous glance toward her friends. Luckily, the three adults seemed to be engaged in conversation and hadn't noticed the young woman's sudden discomfort. Slowly relaxing, Kagome glanced down at the kit in her lap and found with relief that he was happily slurping away at his stew, oblivious.

But now that the thought had been planted in her brain, Kagome couldn't get rid of it and knew that her curiosity wouldn't be sated until she found out for herself. Not knowing what she was getting herself into, Kagome set Shippou down and stood up. "I'm going to look for Inuyasha," she explained at the turned heads and questioning looks, grabbing her bow and quiver by the door. "Don't wait up, 'kay?" Then she left before anyone had the chance to ask about that last statement, the reed mat over the door swimming softly in her wake.

It was night now, and without the aid of the moon's silver brilliance to illuminate her way, Kagome waited for her eyes to adjust before striding toward the forest, because she a hunch that's where she would find him. She didn't exactly know where, but she knew he was in there somewhere.

Carefully picking her way through the foliage and brush, Kagome clutched her bow tightly, always at the ready to snatch an arrow from her quiver and shoot at a moment's notice. It was dangerous in the forest at night, and no doubt she'd probably get bitched at by Inuyasha about going into the forest at night by herself when she found him, but at the moment she didn't care. Inuyasha was defenseless when he was human and her worry for him overrode anything else that moment.

"Inuyashaaaaaaa," Kagome softly sing-songed, mocha eyes alert and searching the darkness before her. She didn't know exactly how far she was into the forest and she was starting to get a little nervous. She hadn't caught sight of him yet, or heard anything that would point to him. A thought occurred to Kagome and she froze, eyes growing wide and her face draining of color. What if he was hurt? What if something happened to him and he was lying unconscious on the forest floor, right now, perhaps bleeding and attracting unwanted attention for all sorts of hungry demons?

With a surge of adrenalin, Kagome darted through the forest, frantic as she shouted Inuyasha's name now, uncaring if she herself drew unwanted attention. Thoughts of an injured Inuyasha plagued her mind and she forced herself to go faster, even when her lungs burned for oxygen and he legs threatened to give out on her.

"Please, please be okay," she whispered to herself over and over, leaping fallen logs and ducking low branches. She wouldn't rest until she found—

Kagome screeched to a halt. "Buh," she said and then slapped a hand over her mouth, her brown eyes growing impossibly large and her heart thundering in her chest, threatening to break her ribcage. She stood absolutely still in fear that she would be noticed.

Under the waterfall, with his hands braced on the rocky wall behind it, was Inuyasha – sans clothing – with his back to her and head bent forward, black hair plastered to his toned back. The water came up to about his waist and Kagome wasn't sure if she should be disappointed or not. Water slicked down his bare body and she could see the muscles working as he breathed in and out in a rhythmic fashion and it was obvious he was forcing himself to breathe that way.

Reassured that the waterfall crashing around his ears would keep him from hearing her, Kagome slowly lowered her hand from her mouth and openly stared at his form, telling herself she was only searching for injuries, her gaze traveling below the surface of the water, her breath quickening. His fire-rat robes were lying in a pile a few feet from where she was standing, and it was apparent he'd discarded them in a hurry.

Satisfied that the object of her lust and affection was, indeed, alright, Kagome willed her heart to retain its normal rhythm and took a slow, steadying breath. So he really had been soaking in a cold river… Instantly all of Kagome's previous thoughts came rushing to the surface and her blood heated as something warm pooled in the pit of her belly. Her lips tingled and her core grew damp and suddenly her knees grew weak. Kagome's eyes dropped to half-mast and she licked her lips as a rather naughty idea implanted itself into her mind.

They were alone. It was nighttime. They were in the middle of the forest. She'd told the others to not wait up for her, so they had no reason to come looking. Right? And it's not like her mother or brother could stumble upon them…

Steeling her resolve, Kagome gently lowered her bow to the ground and shrugged off her quiver, half of her not believing she was actually going to do this and the other half trembled with excited anticipation. Before she lost her nerve, though, she quickly toed off her sandals and pulled her tank top up and off, threw it with Inuyasha's clothes and shimmied out of her skirt. Her panties and bra followed next.

And then she was easing into the clear water of the pond the river had formed from erosion, taking extra care to remain inconspicuous. She wanted the element of surprise on her side so her hanyou-gone-human wouldn't flee. Though it was very unlikely he would, given their earlier…activities. If he was as frustrated as she was, then Kagome was quite positive that Inuyasha would participate in her little game.

All this time, Inuyasha hadn't moved from his place under the fall and Kagome easily glided through the water toward him, the water cool and refreshing against her bare skin. No wonder Inuyasha had gone here. It was quiet, isolated and provided a sense of peace that was rare here in the feudal era.

Finally reaching the oblivious human, her heart thudding against her breast, Kagome slipped her arms around him and pressed her palms flat against his bare chest and at once Inuyasha stiffened, his head jerking up. Before he had a chance to do anything, Kagome plastered herself against his back, leaned up and breathed a single word against his ear.

"…Marco."

Then she released him and pushed herself back through the water, a secret little smile gracing her features as she waited for his reaction.

Still as stone, Inuyasha stared wide eyed straight ahead of him, his skin tingling from where delicate hands had been pressed only seconds before. Kagome. Kagome was back from her time. When did she get back? And why the hell was she naked in the water with him? Not that he was complaining, however; Kagome in the buff was a damned site to see. A very good one, at that. But…why had she sought him out?

Then the word Kagome had said came back to him. Marco. He frowned. What in the seven hells did she mean by that? Who was Marco? A surge of jealousy swept through him and he scowled, about to turn around and demand who the fuck this Marco was, when suddenly his eyes widened in realization.

Oh. He got it now.

With a smirk, Inuyasha obediently closed his eyes and answered her back.

"Polo."

Ecstatic that he'd caught on, Kagome smiled and bit back a giggle, quietly moving through the water and distancing herself from him. "Marco."

Inuyasha's head turned toward the sound of her voice and he grinned, wading in her direction and spreading his arms out on either side. "Poooloooo."

Biting her lip to stop from laughing, Kagome evaded his searching hands and ducked low into the water to move about without splashing too much and drawing his attention. "Marcoooo." Her voice had a teasing lilt to it.

Dammit, if only he'd had his hanyou senses. Then he could track her down easily with his heightened hearing and smell and get on with a more physical and, in his opinion, more fun game. But then again, Inuyasha surmised, it was fun in its own right to draw it out like this, where he couldn't cheat and use his senses to find her. Either way, though, Inuyasha knew how this little game was going to end: with her beneath him.

Releasing a small groan as his cock stiffened, Inuyasha's breathing grew a bit heavier as he paused and listened carefully for any movement. "Polo." His voice was low and husky with need.

Kagome's body responded to the rawness of his voice, her nipples hardening and a rush of heat spiraling toward her center. Shivering, and not because of the cold water, Kagome swallowed thickly and debated on whether or not to let him find her. "M-Marco." It came out as a breathy whisper.

Inwardly smirking at the catch in her voice, Inuyasha slowly glided through the water in what he thought was her direction. He didn't hear the water splashing with movement, nor feel any gentle waves lapping against his form. Was she going to make it easy for him?

"Kagome."

Whoops. He'd meant to say polo…

Butterflies erupted in Kagome's stomach and she forced her feet to move in the opposite direction. "Inuyasha."

God, but when she said his name like that… Throbbing painfully with need, and standing a full attention now, the half-demon turned human waded through the still water toward his prey, his eyes still closed, a hand outreached before him. "Kagome…"

"Inuyasha."

Behind him. Spinning around, his movements slowed by the water, Inuyasha reached out and encountered bare flesh. His hands found her waist and drew her closer to him, groaning when her breasts pressed flushed against his chest. "You sneaky little vixen," he rumbled and finally opened his eye to gaze down at the woman in his arms. She was looking back up at him with her big brown eyes full of innocence and something else Inuyasha couldn't quite decipher. He wasn't sure if he even wanted to.

Kagome's arms swathed up and around his neck, pressing close until their mouths were impossibly close. "Sneaky? Me? Never," she breathed, a corner of her lips kicking up slightly.

Inuyasha chuckled and smoothed his hands down until they grasped her shapely hips, jerking her forward and grinding against her. "Lying doesn't become you," he rasped, bending down to attack her neck with his mouth.

"Here's another lie," Kagome gasped, tilting her head back and thrusting her hands into his luscious black hair. "I don't want you."

He tisked. "Wench…what did I just say? I think I'm gonna hafta teach you a lesson."

His mouth was suddenly on hers and a tongue not her own was slipping past her lips and invading her mouth, devouring her, tasting all that she was and eliciting a moan of desire to bubble up her throat, only to have it swallowed by Inuyasha. Kagome was clinging to him, her body on fire despite the cold water, her center weeping for him and her skin tingling wherever he touched. His lips left a scorching trail from her lips down her jaw, along the slender column of her neck and blazing against the sensitive flesh of her breasts.

Whimpering softly, running her hands though his raven locks and trembling with want, Kagome's mouth worked silently for a moment before she finally got her voice to function properly and managed to gasp out, "What…what kind of lesson?"

She felt him smirk against her breasts and then his violet gaze was boring into her own, a veiled fire in his eyes that threatened to consume her. Kagome's breath hitched in her throat and her heart thundered in her chest.

"One that you won't soon forget."

And with that, Inuyasha swept her up into his arms and strode purposely over to the bank and lord have mercy on any of the poor souls that dared interrupted them now. Inuyasha was on a mission and he'd be damned before he got what he wanted.

Reaching dry land, Inuyasha laid her down on top of their discarded clothes and stretched out above her, trapping one of her thighs between his knees and bracing his hands on either side of her head. Kagome gazed up at him through half-lidded eyes, mouth parted and face flushed. So damn beautiful.

A powerful surge of lust overtook him then and he crushed her mouth beneath his own, his hands wandering her form, tracing her luscious curves, ingraining every niche and groove of her body to his brain, memorizing the feel of her skin beneath his questing fingers. Her tongue dueled with his and her hands weren't idle either. They darted to his chest and traced the muscles she found there, mapping every line and crevice and smoothing over hard male nipples. She felt him jerk above her and she smiled, pleased with the new discovery and made sure to pay extra attention to that area of his chest.

Pulling back for much needed air, the black-haired male grit his teeth and clenched his eyes shut, shuddering under her gentle touch. Deciding he couldn't take much more, he snagged Kagome's wrists in his hand and pinned them above her head, locking gazes with her. They were both breathing heavily and their bodies glistened with a mixture of sweat and water, plastering hair to their foreheads. Time seemed to stop, and nobody but them existed in the world right then.

Inuyasha released a heavy breath and bent his head to place lingering, drugging kisses against her mouth, mumbling her name over and over, as his mouth traveled lower and claimed a perk nipple. Kagome stiffened and cried out in surprise, her body arching up off the ground and she tugged at her wrists, but her lover's grasp remained firm. A sound between annoyed and blissful escaped past her mouth and she felt rather than heard him chuckle against her and she huffed in frustration. She wondered if this was part of the "lesson" that he was going to be "teaching" her.

After lavishing her breasts with his tongue and lips enough where they glistened with his saliva, Inuyasha studied his handiwork with a proud smirk before flicking his gaze up to hers briefly then releasing her wrists in favor of arresting her hips in his grasp. Kagome's hands immediately found purchase in his hair and fisted as Inuyasha's mouth licked a path down her stomach, his tongue dipping into her navel and continuing further south to her panty line. By now Kagome was writhing beneath him, whimpers and sounds of pleasure trickling past her lips and he held her down by the hands at her hips, a downright wicked grin spreading across his features.

"Inuyashaaa," Kagome whined and said human had to refrain from laughing.

"Bossy, bossy," he teased and dragged his tongue along her inner thigh, and this time he did laugh when he felt Kagome tug at his hair in what was probably a reprimand. Ah well. She'd forgive him within the next few moments, Inuyasha was sure.

Sliding his hands down to grasp each of her slim thighs, Inuyasha carefully spread her legs open and his eyes feasted on what lay before him. She was deliciously wet, dripping with her juices and delightful pink. The scent was intoxicating and he groaned, closing his eye and burying his face between her legs, inhaling before swiping his tongue along her center and flicking it against her clit.

Kagome cried out and jerked, her hips bucking up off the ground. Immensely pleased with this reaction, Inuyasha then proceeded to devour her, licking, sucking, nipping and valiantly ignoring the raging hard-on between his legs. God, but she tasted absolutely divine! Like a man depraved, he lapped at her juices as if it were the sweetest wine, succulent and delicious, an elixir created just for him and he'd be damned if he let one drop of it escape his searching tongue.

Moaning in pleasure, writhing in absolute bliss and lifting her hips off the ground in wild abandon, Kagome grabbed fistfuls of her own hair and screamed in frustration as something hot and wonderful built in her lower abdomen, threatening to break loose and deliver the most intense orgasm of her life. His teeth nibbled at her sensitive flesh, his tongue circling the small bundle of nerves hidden within her folds, and his mouth sucking her lower lips and leaving her nearly mindless with pleasure. She was almost there, teetering on the precipice, ready to tumble into glorious oblivion but it wasn't enough, dammit!

"Inuyasha," Kagome pleaded on a near sob, her hands grabbing the clothing beneath them and pulling, her spine curling to press her sopping core against his mouth more firmly in hopes of finding that blessed release. "I want…please…"

Giving in to his woman's pleas, Inuyasha went to town and thrust his tongue into her hot opening, groaning at her taste and using a finger to rub frantically at her clit, wanting her juices in his mouth, desiring to drink all of what she had to offer him and leave nothing left untouched.

Eyes flying wide open, mouth dropping on a silent scream, Kagome's body bowed off the ground as wave after wave of pleasure rushed through her entire being, her muscles trembling as the most powerful orgasm of her life rushed through her and left her breathless. Liquid heat coursed through her veins, and her vision went white momentarily. A moan that sounded suspiciously like his name tumbled from her lips as she collapsed back to the ground and trembled from the aftermath of her release, her chest heaving for breath and her stomach muscles still quivered.

And then she was staring into a pair of rather smug violet eyes, accompanied by a set of lips curled up into a satisfied grin. Kagome could only blink up at him with a dazed smile and he chuckled before dipping down and capturing her lips with his own. Kagome sighed and wearily wrapped her arms around his neck, returning his lazy kiss as best as she could while still recovering from the rather intense orgasm he just gave her. She could taste herself on his lips and it sent a jolt of…something not all that unpleasant through her.

"You taste fucking fantastic," Inuyasha breathed and drew her bottom lip in her mouth, nibbling on it gently before releasing it and soothing the flesh with his tongue.

In response to that, Kagome smiled and sneakily slithered a hand down between their bodies and grabbed the hard length pressed against her stomach. Inuyasha gasped and pushed his cock more firmly into her hand, muttering obscenities under his breath and pulling back his head to bite down on her shoulder.

Kagome was the one in charge now and it sent a thrill through her. "Do you want me?" she asked softly, stroking him in her fist and turning her head to nibble on his ear.

Now Inuyasha was the one fisting his hands into the clothing under them as his hips surged forward, his form trembling. "Stupid question," he managed to gasp out, his breath hot on her neck.

"Do you?" she persisted, pausing in her ministrations down south.

"Fuck, woman, yes," he confessed on a whine, urging her to continue lest he take the matter into his own hands. Quite literally.

Humming in approval, Kagome pumped him harder and licked the shell of his ear, her other hand trailing her fingers up and down his toned back. He was thick and hard and warm in her hand, and every now and then precum would seep through the slit at his head and she'd use her thumb to swirl it around, using it as a lubricator of sorts to give him optimum pleasure. She could tell he was making a valiant effort to remain still, but every once in a while his hips would give a powerful surge and she would quicken her movements before slowing down.

Inuyasha decided that he'd had enough of this.

With a dark curse, the violet-eyed male jerked himself from her grasp and pulled her hand from between them, entwining their fingers together and pressing his engorged shaft against her wet center. He stared hard into her eyes and knowing what was coming next, Kagome squirmed beneath him, parting her knees and pressing her hips into his.

Mouths meshed together, hands never in once place for too long and entangled in hair, Inuyasha slid his cock along her hot core and hissed in pleasure, releasing her mouth to bury his face into her sweaty neck. Kagome mewled and bucked her hips upward but Inuyasha held them down with a firm hand. She pouted and racked her nails along his back in impatience, wanting him inside her now, dammit.

Finally, finally, he was going to be inside her, joining them as one, mates for life, her one and only—

Kagome's eyes suddenly flew open and she gasped, her face going pale and her heart skipping a beat.

No.

Oblivious to his woman's sudden stillness, Inuyasha continued to tease himself by rubbing the head of his shaft along her hot slit, moaning softly at the feel of her pressed so intimately against him, her breasts to his chest, hips to hips, legs entwined and hands clasped together. How he'd waited for his moment, this one perfect moment…

"Inuyasha," Kagome breathed, squirming beneath him.

"Hm," he replied and kissed a path up to her lips. "'Gome," he mumbled, nuzzling her nose with his own.

Kagome began to panic. "Inuyasha," she tried again, desperate to get his attention.

Finally sensing that something was wrong with his woman, Inuyasha frowned and lifted his head to stare down into her pale face, concerned. "Kagome? What's wrong?" Did she not want…?

Oddly, she looked…apologetic?

"I sense…two jewel shards coming. Fast."

The color drained from his face and he froze above her, staring down at the young woman disbelievingly. "No."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kagome reluctantly nodded. "Yes."

Closing his eyes, his dick going limp, Inuyasha groaned and dropped his head to her shoulder, releasing her hand to pound a fist into the ground in frustration. "Dammit. Can I kill him? Please?" Because if he didn't kill something, he was going to go fucking insane. This has got to be some kind of conspiracy! He must have done something terrible in his past life to have this kind of misfortune find him three fucking times.

Grumbling angrily, Inuyasha rolled away from her and stood up. As much as he wanted to take her in his arms and find a more private place – like in a fucking tree – he knew that his human night must be closely guarded and to have him of all people find out… It was safer to just flee, no matter how much he didn't want to.

They dressed in silence, frustration evident in their movements and as their unwanted visitor grew closer, Kagome suddenly bit her lip and glanced at her companion. She had to say it now. Otherwise…she might never have the guts to do it again.

"Dammit." Turning his gaze back to his lover, Inuyasha's eyes softened slightly and he strode over to her, taking her shoulders in his hands and bending down to press his lips against hers in a loving, but all too brief kiss. "Wait for me." Then he stepped back and vanished into the trees, though Kagome knew he wouldn't be that far off. He wouldn't leave her alone in the forest at night, and most definitely not alone with that mangy wolf.

Kagome stared into the darkness as their visitor finally made it to the small clearing and loudly made his presence known. "Kagome! I thought I smelled your lovely scent." The wolf grinned and took her hands in his own.

Gracing him with a watery and not a little bit forced smile, Kagome sighed and glanced off into the trees again. "Hello, Kouga."

-X-

SO.

Who wants to kill me? XD HAHAHAH. Anyway, kudos goes to those who suggested the game Marco Polo to me, and this chapter is dedicated to you wonderful people! Also, I couldn't help but notice that a rather large number of you want them to play Hide and Seek. I can see why, though; the possibilities are ENDLESSS. xD Lol. Rest assured, I will have them play that game…eventually. Actually, it sounds like a good game for them to "play" in the chapter when Inuyasha finally gets himself some well deserved nookie. Lmao. I have something in mind. ;)

So, as per usual, keep the game suggestions comin'! I've gone through my reviews and listed all of the games you've all given me, so I can go back and pick which one I want for the next chapter, but new ones are always welcome and appreciated! =D

Until next time,Keiz

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.